Gear Reviews

Justin and I had been in a serious relationship for awhile, so we decided to travel to Africa to visit his parents. When we met at the airport I was shocked and thrilled when he got down on one knee and... gave me a women's Prolite Therm-a-Rest. Just kidding, but it was a super awesome surprise he sprung on me in Dulles International Airport on our way to Malawi to spend Christmas with his parents. I'm still using it to date and it hasn't let me down from sleeping in airports, to backpacking, to snow camping. Here are some of the best things about the Prolite.

It weighs in at just 17 oz so it's great for backpacking. It rolls up pretty small too so that I'm able to carry a tent, a zero degree sleeping bag, clothes, 3L of water, and this pad in just my 45L backpack.

With an R-value of 3.0 I've slept warm in some pretty icy and snowy cold conditions. While I know that R-values can get quite a bit higher than this, with a zero degree bag I've had no problems.

The Prolite is self-inflating which means all you have to do is open the valve and throw it into your tent. By the time you're done setting up camp it's almost completely inflated and you just have to add a few puffs of air. It never fully inflates but this feature really does make things easier.

The price is right, at least to me. You can buy the small size brand new for $89.95. With a lot of sleeping pads ringing in at upwards of $100 that's not too bad.

The one thing I'm not crazy about with this pad is that it's quite narrow. However, I've found that to be the case with most sleeping pads so I'm not that fussed about it. Also, if you prefer a thick cushy mattress style pad, then I'd probably suggest looking at some other options. However, I think this is a great product if you're looking for something light and multi seasonal and are willing to accept some of the limitations that come with that.